It's official. That frigid bitch winter is here to crash our party. And we have a feeling she's planning on overstaying her welcome. Time to dig out the unflattering parka and, ugh, the winter hat. Does anybody really look good in a winter hat? Yes, says haute hat designer Marie Galvin of GALVIN-ized Headwear. "If you have a head, you can wear a hat," the local milliner told us. Interest piqued, we picked her well-adorned brain for some fascinator — er, fascinating tips on the fine art of the hat.

ON BUYING HATS: "You should be able to fit your index finger between your head and the hat. It's like buying a pair of shoes. If it's too tight, it'll give you a headache, not to mention serious hat head. Choose a style that brings out the best in you. Don't try to be something you're not. Don't let the hat wear you. Most importantly, don't take yourself so seriously, and don't worry about what people will think of you. It's just a hat!"

ON INDOOR HATS: "It's now acceptable to wear hats in restaurant-type environments. However, always consider the material and weight of the hat. After a couple of bevvies and some tasty morsels you'll start to overheat, and a big red face isn't as attractive under a winter woolly chapeau indoors."

ON TRUCKER HATS: "Unless you look like Pharrell Williams in a trucker hat . . . forget it! I loved them back in the day until Ashton Kutcher and the like started wearing them. I have to say, the kids at Artists for Humanity on A Street are totally rocking the style again, in a really good way. But please, leave trucker hats to the artsy skater kids."

ON THE WORST HATS: "I'm not a fan of the polar fleece ski hats with the fake dreads. Those should only be worn on the slopes, and even then, ugh."

ON THE BEST HATS: "While it's slowly becoming the replacement for the all-American baseball cap, fedoras are always relevant. Why? It exudes sex. You walk, talk, and dance differently in a fedora. They're empowering. They're here to stay. From Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain to Andre 3000, it's one of the sexiest hat styles."

To tie in with its ongoing exhibit "Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones," Salem's Peabody Essex Museum is hosting Galvin for a special trunk show. Check out her creations at the Museum Shop on December 1 from 2 to 4 pm.

Why we live here By now, we've all heard what the people at Forbes magazine have to say about why Portland is at the top of its annual "America's Most Livable Cities" list. We apparently scored a lot of points on a "leisure index."

As the Pro Jo turns A full-page advertisement that ran on page A7 of Monday's ProJo featured an illustration depicting a workshop of flinty Amish craftsmen busily building what the headline called an "Amish mantle and miracle invention" that helps "home heat bills hit rock bottom."

Interview: God save John Lydon When Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren coined the phrase "cash from chaos," he may have been describing his own filthy lucre, but for the members of rock's most explosive group, the fiduciary comeuppance was and has been eternally forthcoming.

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SLIDESHOW: More menswear favorites from American Field Our latest style page highlights a few of the brands being featured at this weekend’s American Field pop-up, a two-day public tradeshow and party that’s uniting 30-plus menswear and accessory companies from across the country. Here are some of the other outfitters bringing their best stuff to the South End.

Haunted Housewares Sorry, those fake cobwebs still have to come down November 1. Fortunately, several local spots stock creepy décor that's cool enough to keep up all year round. Check out these scary good finds.

THE TNT SHORT LIST: ARTSEMERSON'S NEXT THING | February 12, 2013 Mike Daisey's anthropologic commentary on American culture is just the beginning of what ArtsEmerson has in store for festival-goers at The Next Thing (TNT) Festival.